His Eyes
by Ina-chan
Summary: Based on the manga, Himechan writes a letter to Erika about her feelings for Daichi. This happens after volume 10 but before the


  
"His Eyes"  
A Hime-chan no Ribbon fanfic by Ina-chan  
June 2, 2000  
  
Notes:  
Indicates Hime-chan's letter to Erika.   
[Indicates flashback]  
  
***  
Nee, Erika. I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. How have you  
been? How is Pokota doing? I'm going to write him a letter as well,   
after I finish writing yours. Me? I'm doing fine. Though I'm feeling a  
little stressed.  
  
The soft breeze played mischievously with wisps of the young girl's  
golden locks as she watched the boy seated on the sofa while waiting  
anxiously for his reply to her answer. She clenched and unclenched her   
hands nervously on her lap as the boy lifted his eyes from the reader in  
his hands to meet hers.  
"Wrong."  
"Eh?"   
The girl's jaw fell as the boy nonchalantly returned his attention to  
the book in his hands. Nonohara Himeko pulled her chin length hair in   
frustration. "Mou! DAICHI!!! Stop asking me the hard questions!!!"  
"No way!" Kobayashi Daichi replied in that annoying smug manner of  
his, ignoring one of the patented if-looks-can-kill-look the growling girl   
was giving him.  
  
Its almost time for the high school entrance exams. I'm doing my  
best, you know how much I really want to get into Kazetachi High School.   
Daichi is helping me review in the hideout right after cram school. He's   
such a slave-driver! Sometimes I think he's even worse than Pokota!  
  
Even so... I think I'm growing to love Daichi even more and more  
everyday... But... Lately, he's been acting really strange. As if he's   
afraid to be around me. He hasn't even tried to... not since... that   
day...  
  
[The one thing she hated more than crying, was for other people to  
see her cry. But somehow, Daichi managed to see through her happy mask.   
Pokota's gone forever! Daichi was the only one who could understand how   
she feels. Running to him and crying her heart out on his shoulder seemed   
the natural thing to do. She didn't even notice when Daichi gently pushed  
her back to face her.  
"...Nonohara," was all he whispered before she felt his warm lips  
over hers. Himeko's eyes widened in surprise and could only gape in shock   
as he pulled away to envelop her in his arms. "I'm here. I'll always be  
here."   
It was at that moment when she realized how much she truly loved her   
rebellious hellion. The girl closed her eyes and let herself be engulfed   
in his comforting warmth.]  
  
Come to think of it, Erika... He hasn't really told me how he feels   
about me. Lately, when things start to get serious, its seems as if he   
always does something intentionally to ruin the mood. Mou! It's really   
frustrating  
  
"Oi, Nonohara! Pay attention!" Daichi called out to her, irritation   
lacing his voice, "Oi, Shounen*!"  
The girl bristled at the sound of that annoying nickname he   
occasionally uses to annoy her. She marched toward the boy and towered   
over him with her patented if-looks-can-kill-part-2, "WHAT DID YOU JUST   
CALL ME?!?!?"   
Daichi simply doubled over in laughter.  
"Mou! You're hopeless!" Himeko sighed in disgust. The girl padded   
over to the chair adjacent to the sofa and sulkily plunked herself on the   
seat. "Nee, Daichi," Her voice lowering to a more serious tone  
"Nani?" Daichi managed to gasp from his mirth  
The girl absent-mindedly twirled a golden lock on her fingertips, "Do   
I... do I really still look like a boy... even with my hair a bit longer?  
Tell me the truth."  
"The truth?" Daichi replied thoughtfully as he scratched his chin,   
"No. With you're hair longer, you look much prettier to be called a  
shounen..."  
"Really?" Himeko brightened at the boy's comment.  
"I guess I should start calling you Bishounnen*," Daichi added   
impishly  
"MOU!!!! Daichi, you jerk!" The girl launched herself from her chair  
indignantly and repeatedly pelted the boy with her seat cushion.  
  
Why does he always do that, Erika? Its so annoying. He isn't mean   
any other girls like he is to me. He's nice and polite to everyone else.  
Well... even somewhat to Hibino-san. And... there's HER too...  
  
"Honestly Daichi!" Himeko huffed sulkily on the sofa beside the boy,   
"Sometimes I think you just like hang around me to torture me."  
"Nani?" A frown knotted on the boy's forehead, "What are you talking   
about?"  
Himeko opened an eye and playfully peered at the puzzled boy,   
"Sometimes, I feel that you would rather have a more feminine companion   
than me."  
"Someone like who?" Daichi inquired with a raised eyebrow  
"Well," Himeko began as she brought out a finger, "Maybe someone like   
Aiko-oneechan."   
"What?" Daichi snorted incredulously, struggling to maintain a   
serious expression  
Himeko held out a second finger, "There's also Hibino-san."  
"HIBINO!" Daichi gagged, visibly looking a bit ill  
In spite of herself, a smile inched its way to Himeko's face at the   
sight of her companion's face. It quickly vanished, however, when the next  
name left her lips, "And... Hijiri-san." Himeko bowed her head and started   
fiddling with her fingers.  
"Yuka?" Daichi began, but stopped himself when the girl's body  
language registered in his mind. He couldn't help but smile at the scene   
before him, "Nonohara, you're not jealous of Yuka, aren't you?"  
"OF COURSE NOT! WHY SHOULD I BE?" Himeko snapped instinctively as she   
stood up to leave the room  
However, the boy caught her wrist and pulled her back to her seat  
before she can take a step away. Daichi firmly clasped her hand into his   
and simply sat beside her quietly, waiting for the girl to calm down.   
Himeko let out a long sigh, "How am I supposed to feel? I know you've   
known her since you were little. But she's so much prettier than I am. And   
she's feminine and so good at everything. And you're extra nice to her. You   
even call her by her first name...*"  
"Nonohara," Daichi began in a quiet voice, "Yuka is like a sister to  
me."  
"She can do everything I can do and twice as better," Himeko retorted  
"That's not true," Daichi replied, "There's one thing you do that she  
can't even do a fraction of."  
"And what's that? Beat you to a pulp?" Himeko sighed, feeling a bit   
of her usual humour returning  
Daichi absent-mindedly twined his fingers with her hands, "How you  
make me feel."  
"Eh?"  
  
Manami, Icchan and I watched a movie a long time ago. I didn't  
really pay that much attention to it back then. The movie went on something  
in the line about men looking at things in a different perspective than   
women. And that men normally don't say out loud what they really feel.   
That's why it was important to look at the other person's eyes to know  
exactly what they're trying to say...  
  
The girl didn't expect him to say that. And from the look of things,  
he didn't expect it to come out that way either. Both fidgeted   
uncomfortably in the room's awkward deafening silence as they felt  
themselves flushing bright red right down to the tips of their toes. Himeko   
could feel her hand burning in his, but was too shocked and embarrassed to  
pull away.  
"Da...daichi..." Her voice trailed away.  
There was no backing out from a situation like this. So the young man  
did the only thing he can do... move forward. Trying to summon his courage,   
he forced himself to look at her and cleared his throat. "Himeko...Would...  
would you like to know? How?"  
The girl shyly looked up to meet his eyes, and could only reply with   
a simple nod.  
  
Daichi's eyes has a variety of expressions. One of my favourites is   
that look he has when he's thinking. When his brown eyes come alive and   
turn inward as weighs and deliberates the options in his plans. How his   
eyes grow wide and lighten up when he arrives on an answer. Another is how   
his eyes shines and becomes animated when he talks about steam trains and   
the trips all over Japan he's been planning.  
There are also times when he looks at me with the same serious  
expression on his face. The only difference is that I don't understand what   
he says with his eyes. Its as if a variety of thoughts and emotions go   
through him at the same time, creating a turbulent storm. Its then that I   
could feel myself falling... getting lost in those dark depths. But when I   
try to reach out for him to steady myself... he would always move away.  
  
His lips moved, but his voice failed him. So his hands abandoned its  
captive as he reached out to cradle her face. Himeko closed her eyes as his   
warm lips claimed hers. There was something oddly different with this kiss.   
Desperation? Hunger? Danger? It felt as if something awakened from within   
her chest and was painfully struggling to get out.   
  
It hurts when he does that. But lately, everything he does seems to  
hurt. Even just being with him. My chest hurts when I'm with him. I feel as   
if I'm lost and drowning in an endless stormy sea. I struggle to rise above  
the waters, but wave after wave would pound me deeper into the sea. It hurt   
to breathe the same air around him. I hurts so much that I feel like I   
would die... but the thought of not being with him hurt even more...  
  
They reluctantly parted to control their laboured breaths. Himeko   
collapsed on her seat... feeling a little overwhelmed at the emotions   
running through her.   
"Its getting late," Daichi suddenly spoke, "We better get on our  
way."  
"Un..." Himeko replied dumbly in agreement  
  
Do you think I'm going crazy, Erika? Sometimes it feels that way. I   
don't understand any of this at all. And the more I try to think about it,  
the more confused I become. Mou!  
  
The street lamps started to flicker on in the dim evening sky.   
Himeko spent a good number of evenings with Daichi like this. Walking in   
each other's company, sometimes teasing each other... sometimes talking...   
or sometimes like this. Just enjoying walking with each other in silence.   
Lately, she's been feeling more and more disappointed at the sight of her   
house at the end of their walks.  
"Nonohara," Daichi began as he handed her bag, "I think we should   
start reviewing in the library after cram school."  
Himeko blinked, "Nani?"  
"I just think..." Daichi looked away uncomfortably as a visible red   
flush started to invade his face and ears, "I just think it would be for  
the best."  
"H-hai," Himeko replied, studying her shoes, as she felt an identical  
flush rising on her own face  
"I'll see you tomorrow."   
"Ja ne."  
  
I'm going to stop bothering you with my craziness now. Say hello to  
everyone for me. I'll write some more later. Write back quickly, nee?   
  
  
Your friend who misses you very much,  
Himeko.  
  
  
~OWARI~  
  
****  
*Shounen - boy. When Hime-chan and Daichi first met, Daichi thought Hime-  
chan was a boy. It has been a running joke in the anime and early in the   
manga with Daichi teasing her by calling her a "boy".  
  
*Bishounnen - "pretty boy" ^_^.  
  
* In Japan, a non-related boy calling a girl by her first name implies a  
close relationship between the two of them. It could be because the girl is   
a childhood friend or she is a girlfriend.   
  
Author's squawk:  
  
WAI! Here it is! My FIRST "Hime-chan no Ribon" fanfic!  
  
I know, how I presented it is confusing, ne? ^_^. Originally, I started  
this out as a dojin. But after working almost 3 hours on one page (which   
was barely one scene)... GYEH! Its too much work for Ina-chan. Maybe I'll  
finish it someday. Of maybe I'll get my sister to illustrate it for me.   
^_^. But I just had to gotta get this storyline out of my system... that's   
why I wrote it that way. And yes, Meach... see? One more step closer to a   
lemon! ^_^. I think the love-love scene here is more lime-ish than my usual   
ones, ne? GAG Heh-heh. Someday I will write a full-blown lemon... I   
swear! ^_^.  
  
This storyline is based on the manga. It also happens after Erika takes  
back the ribbon and takes Pokota with her to the Land of Magic BUT before   
the "3 years in the future" storyline. So Daichi didn't move away... and   
REFUSE to use that "Marmalade Boy" formula in any of my fics. Heh-heh...   
^_^. Mind you, I love "Marmalade Boy", but it just danged annoys me that so   
many shoujo storylines adopt that "guy leaves the girl behind and try and   
fail to have a long distance relationship" thing.   
  
Well... I babbled enough!  
  
Ja!  
Ina-chan  
  



End file.
